"...The major problem with moving Linux to the desktop
is the fact that it was not first to market. Microsoft got there
first and so owns the market. You see the same thing with RedHat
within the Linux using community. It's an old rule of thumb, first
to market, no matter how imperfect your product, and you get the
lions share of that market. Why? Well, once people start using and
learning a product, they are reluctant to start over again with a
new, better product. It takes them out of their comfort zone. Is
this issue insurmountable? I don't think so, but it is something
that certainly needs to be taken into account when building a Linux
distribution for the desktop.
Ok, so how does one address this issue? Keep in mind we are
looking at moving MS Windows users to Linux.
First, the user has to be made comfortable in the environment.
It does not need to look or act exactly like Windows, but the GUI
controls and actions (mouse, keyboard, menus) should be easily
learnable. The desktop environment should be shiny and new and
exciting, like a new plaything. GNOME and KDE (there may be others
available) both have neat desktop environments that make working on
their computer a fun experience."
